Well, dear readers, I am stymied! I can’t prove by the Bible what I was going to present as my reason number four that God sometimes does not seem to be Jehovah-Jireh, God our Provider. So I have no reason number four, but I’d like to explain what I thought I was going to say. 😀 😀

My thought was that God sometimes tests us by allowing us to be in need in order to make us realize our dependence on him. I can’t prove that. Even in Job’s case I cannot prove that he suffered from a lack of food, home, or clothing, even though he suffered devastating losses of all his wealth.

In fact it seems that he did not suffer from lack of his “necessities.” The home he lived in is not mentioned among his loses. The sons and daughters were killed in the home of the elder brother. Job 6:6,7 sounds like he didn’t like his food, but he must have had some. He tore up one garment and put on sackcloth, but that was something he decided to do as a sign of his suffering. He must have had an extra hanging in the closet. He sat on the ground with his friends. But I can’t prove it was because he didn’t have a couch left. The best I can tell his wife was still up to par with her home affairs – and her nagging. Losing her kids must have been a bit trying, however. So she had some room for complaining. The point of all this is that I can’t prove that even Job went hungry as a part of his afflictions – as a part of his testings.

The nearest I can come to proving my point about a Christian being in hunger is that Paul said he had been “in hunger” (NIV), but even that is not all that evident in KJ. And it wouldn’t prove it was a test anyway.

So my theory than God might withhold basic necessities as a test of one’s faith was made only on the basis of what I see in life, not what I see in the Word. In other words, my theory (reason number four) is not worth the paper I was going to write it on! 😀

Boy, have I gotten myself into hot water! But thank you, Holy Spirit, for keeping me scriptural! I give up. Even in devastating times, tornadoes, disease, job loss, we can trust God to “give us this day, our daily bread.”

JEHOVAH-JIREH (the one who sees and who provides); you were, you are, and you forever will be. Thank you.

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About oneta hayes

ABOUT ME
Hello. To various folks I am Neat’nee, Mom, Grandma Neta, Gramma, Aunt Neta, Aunt Noni, Aunt Neno, and Aunt Neto (lots of varieties from little nieces and nephews). To some I’m more like “Didn’t you used to be my teacher?” or “Don’t I know you from someplace?” To you, perhaps, I am a Fellow Blogger. Not “fellow” like a male or a guy, but “fellow” like a companion or an adventurer. I would choose to be Grandma Blogger, and have you pull up a chair, my website before you, while I tell you of some days of yore. I have experienced life much differently than most of you. It was and is a good life. I hope to share nuggets of appreciation for those who have gone before me and those who come after me. By necessity you are among those who come after me and I will tell you of those who came before. Once upon a time in a little house on a prairie - oops, change that lest I commit plagiarism - and change that “house on the prairie” to “dugout on the prairie.” So my story begins...

God DOES provide. He provides what we need – salvation through belief and trust in his Son, Jesus; hope of the eternal now of his presence; and a future in glory. The rest, as they say, is gravy.

Affliction, want, trials come because we live in a fallen world, one that Satan believes he owns (although his day of final defeat is coming.) Jesus never promised we wouldn’t be tried. Indeed, he says “In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” That is the true provision – the overcoming of all through and with Jesus.

Right on all counts, Jackie. Thanks for extending my thoughts. The very root of the word Jehovah-Jireh was set in the provision of a ram to Abraham for sacrifice. That is the spiritual angle of which you speak. I believe Jesus’ feeding the crowds by a miracle and including “daily bread” in his model prayer supports his desire that his people do not go without basic needs. Thanks for your comment.

I believe the story of Job is to remind us always that the Deceiver (Satan) is always out to steal from us the blessings of God our Provider. The coming of Christ and the salvation we now have means that the greatest Gift of all is our destination ……..not the journey….but…..He will (I believe) always supply what we need to travel if He has commissioned or called us. If we allow P.L.O.M (poor little old me) to get in the way then ‘self’ becomes the purpose for our ‘need’. Worship (like Job) came even in his need. If only we could all learn to ‘surrender’ to the Will of God for us in all circumstances we would only want what He wants for us, to full HIS Purposes not our own agenda. . Thanks for your challenges, Oneta.

It is a fearful thing to stand as one who teaches God Word without honesty, a reasonable knowledge of the Bible, a strong dependence upon direction from the Lord, and a submission to him.. (James 3:1-2) I thank you.

I appreciate your honesty about this. We can’t no everything n the Bible and understand it all but I agree with you and your point that at times we go with out or have times testing etc. So that we realize all that we are blessed with and that for us things aren’t so bad.
One of my faults is I can be vain, focused on beauty and I read a ah article about a girl who had a lump on her nose that turned out to be skin cancer. It was removed along part of her nose. She had it reconstructed, the cancer cane back and more if her nose and her jaws and cheeks had to be removed before finally the cancer has stayed gone.
She has ended up with a gaping cavity beneath her nose. I think she’s still beautiful ( she was before) but I hope they can do something about closing this cavity someday. She has to wear mask over it all the time so it doesn’t become infected and she has to clean it several times a day. Reading this made me aware agin that there are a lot of people going through some bad stuff, just like job and we need to be grateful for what gifts we’ve been given.
Thanks again for sharing!

Thanks for your expanded thought on my post. Some people can be so noble in harrowing circumstances. I remember a long time ago – before so much could be improved with reconstructive surgery – I was in a small church where a choir was singing. There were about 12-15 people in the choir and one of them was a teen who had a third eye in the center of her forehead. I was struck with the grace and fortitude of that girl, and the love and compassion of that church. Noble people, all!

I want to pay tribute to wonderful people I have known, the wonderful country in which I live, the communities in which I have lived, the churches who have claimed me as their own, the God who sends shivers down my back when I really give him a portion of my time—well, maybe not shivers but tears flow easily in some of those most priceless times.

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Oneta Hayes

Hello. To various folks I am Neat’ne, Mom, Grandma Neta, Gramma, Aunt Neta, Aunt Noni, Aunt Neno, and Aunt Neto (lots of varieties from little nieces and nephews). To some I’m more like “Didn’t you used to be my teacher?” or “Don’t I know you from someplace?” To you, perhaps, I am a Fellow Blogger. Not “fellow” like a male or a guy, but “fellow” like a companion or an adventurer. I would choose to be Grandma Blogger, and have you pull up a chair, my website before you, while I tell you of some days of yore. I have experienced life much differently than most of you. It was and is a good life. I hope to share nuggets of appreciation for those who have gone before me and those who come after me. By necessity you are among those who come after me and I will tell you of those who came before. Once upon a time in a little house on a prairie - oops, change that lest I commit plagiarism - and change that “house on the prairie” to “dugout on the prairie.” So my story begins.